Valve-operating lever



F. F. SCOVILLE. VALVE OPERATING LEVER. APPLICATION FILED uov. 1. 1919.

1,366,502, Patented Jan. 25, 1921.

F. F. SCOVILLE.

VALVE OPERATING LEVER. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 1. 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- 1,366,502. Patented Jan. 25,1921. V

angles thereto; Figs. 3 and i, similarviews UNITED STAr sPATENT OFFICE.

FRANK F. soovrztnn, or SCHENECTADY, NEW YORK.

VALVEOPERATING LEVER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 25, 1921.

Application filed November 1, 1919. Serial No. 335,132.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, F RANK F. Soovnmn,

of Schenectady, in the county of Schenectady and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement 111 Valve-Operating Levers, of which 1mprovement the-following-is a specification.

My invention relates to levers for manually operating throttle or otheryalves controlling the flow of fluid, and 1ts ob ect is to provide a lever of suchcharacter, in the operation of which maximum leverage ,may be afforded at the commencement of the traverse of the lever, and be progressively decreased toward the end thereof, or vlce versa, this result being attained without the use of the toggle connections heretofore employed for thepurpose, in which sl ackness of the joints is substantially ob ectionable.

The improvement claimed is herelnafter fully set forth. V

In theaccompanying dr'awmgsz Figure 1 is a side view, in elevation, of a valve operating lever, illustrating an embodiment of myinvention; Fig. 2, aview, taken at right respectively, showing a structural IIlOCl II'P cation; and, Figs. '5 and 6, plan andside views,"respectively, showing another structural modification; 1

In the practice of my invention, referring descriptively to the specific embodiment thereof which isherein exemplified, and first to the form shown in Figs. 1 and 2, I provioe a valve operating lever, 1, having a handle, 1*, at one end, which may either stand at an angle to the body of the lever, 'as'shown, or be in line therewith, as preferred. A longitudinally movable valve stem, 2, which is shown as passing through a guide, 3, formed on a fixed support, 3, is connected to the lever by a pair of parallel links, 4, which. are pivotally coupled to the lever, by a pin, 4 at a point in its length nearer to its end which is farthest from its handle. The opposite end of the valve stem, 2, is connected to a valve of any known and desired construction, which, as it does not, in and of itself, form part of my present invention, is not herein shown. The lever 1. is fitted to swing over a toothed segment,

upon which it may be guided, in its traverse, by a block, 7, fixed upon the lever,

and roller maintaining the lever, throughout itsswinging traverse, in true radial relation to the segment. A suitable latch, guided in the block, is actuated by a latch lever, 8. r

The lever, 1, is fulcrumed on a swiveling arm, 9, which, in the instance exemplified, is of T form, and its upper member is forked, at its outer end, to embrace the lever; The arm, 9, is pivotally connected to the fixed support, 3, by a pin, 9?, and, at its opposite end, bears on the farther and the nearer sides of the lever, 1,-rollers, '9" and 9, being journaled on it, which bear, respectively, on said sides, in order to reduce friction and insure theprevention of cramping in operation. The downwardly projecting member of the arm, 9, is pivotally connected to a aw, 9 which extends outwardly, substantially parallel with the upper member, and carries rollers, 9 and 9 bearin on the farther and the nearer sides of the the rollers, 9 and 9.

In the operation of the construction above described, at the commencement of the movement of the lever, 1, to the left, for the purpose of opening the valve, the lever bears on the rollers, 9 and 9, thereof, through which rollers, and the swiveling arm, 9, on which they are mounted, the power applied to the lever handle is applied tothe fixed fulcrum pin, 9, overcoming the resistance exertedto the movement of the lever, by its connection, through the links, 4, to the valve stem, 2. The power arm of the lever is, consequently, the distance, measured on its middle line, between the axis of the lever handle,l and a line intersecting the axes of the fulcrum arm pins, 9 and 9, and the resistance arm of the lever is the materially lesser distance between the axis of the pin, 4 by which the lever is coupled, to the valve stem links, 4, and a line interever, 1, similarly to secting the axes of the fulcrum arm pins,

9 and 9. Under these conditions, the leverage of the operating lever is at its maximum, and as, in the continued traverse of the lever to the left, the fulcrum arm, 9, is swung upwardly on its pivot pin, 9, by the lever, as indicated in broken lines in Fig. 1, the length of the resistance arm of the lever above indicated is continuously increased, with a corresponding decrease in the leverage of the lever, which reaches its minimum at the 1left hand extremity of the traverse of the ever.

arm on the sides of the lever farther from,

and nearer to, respectively, the pivot pin, 9,

of the arm. The valve stem, 2, is, as in the prior instance, coupled to a pin, 44*, on the operating lever, and thelatter is. maintained in properrelation toits segment, 5, by a pinion, 6, journaled in a. block,,7, which is fixed on the operating leverand carries a suitable latch, which is movable toward and from the segment, by a latch lever, 8,and is adapted to engage teeth on the segment, and

'b a roller 1 'ournaled on the lever and: .l a a a a bearingon the inner face of thesegment.

It will be seen that, in operation, movement of the lever, l, to the left, swings the fulcrum arm, 9, upwardly on its pivot pin, 9, and thereby progressively increases the length; of the resistance arm of the lever, correspondingly reducing the leverage thereof in its traverse, as in the instance first de-' scribed. 7

In the illOdlfiCfitlOll shown in Figs. 5 and (S, the fulcrum arm, 9, carries, on its outer end, aslotted head, 9 which fits around the operatmg lever,the fulcrum arm being, by

this connection, moved upwardly upon the lever by the traverse thereof from right to left, as in the constructions of Figs. 1 to at inclusive, the, friction rollers of the latter being dispensed with, inorderto simplify the structure.

I claim as my invention and desire to secure by LettersPatent:

l. The combination of a valve operating lever; a valve stem; a link, couplmg the lever to the valve stem; at fixed support for the operatinglever; a fulcrum arm, pivoted to sai'dsupport, independently of the valve stem,,and.adapted to bear, in opposite directions, on the sides of the operating lever; a

segment, over which the operating lever is fitted to traverse; and means for maintainingsaidw lever-in normal relation to the segment.

2. The combination ofra valve operating.

lever; a valve-stem; a link, coupling the lever'tothe valve stem; a fixed supportfor the operating lever; a fulcrum arm,,piv oted to said support, independently ofcthe: valve stem; bearing rollers, journaled orrsaid arm, and adapted to bear against opposite-sides of theoperatinglever; a segment, over which the operating lever is-fitted to traverse; and

means for maintaining. said lever innorrnal relation to the segment.

3. The combination; of; aV-valve operating lover; a valve stem; a link, coupling the lever to the valve stem; at fixed support for theoperating lever; a fulcrum arm, pivoted to said support,independently of thevalve stem, and fitted: to slide longitudinally on the operatingl'ever, with; its bearings on op- 'posite-sides thereof; a segment, over which the operating lever is fitted tov traverse; and means for maintaining said lever in normal relation to the segment. 1 7

4. The combination of a valve operating lever; a valve. stem; a link, coupling the lever to the valve stem; a fixed support for the operating lever; a ifulcrum arm, of T form, pivoted, at one end of its cross bar, to said support; bearings on the cross bar of of the operatinglever; and similarly abutting bearings atthe lower endofthe central bar of the fulcrum arm; a segment over winch the operating lever is fitted to traverse; and means for maintammg said lever in normal relation to the segment.

7 a FRANK F. SCOVILLE.

lVitnesses E. I. SCHAUBER, H S. E. WAGAR.

the fulcrum arm, abutting on oppositesides 

